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Tamara Tavion
Tamara Tavion (2108 AE - present) is the daughter of Count Joel Tavion of Bourne, and a Major in the Faradorian Army. She currently commands Fort Hope. Early Life Tamara Tavion was born shortly after her older brother, Delgard Tavion II, who is only a year older than her. Being the younger sibling, and given the political upheavals caused by the Third Coming of Arda, Tamara's younger life was less strictly governed than her brother's. She was a keen fighter from a young age, and began training with sword and bow alongside her brother, primarily under General Haagen Daas (then recently made Captain after returning to military service). She regularly outclassed her brother in combat, although his academic prowess was often keener than Tamara's. Military Career Cadet Despite her nobility, Count Joel ensured Tamara underwent the same basic training as other soldiers. She enrolled in the military academy at the age of 14, training in Camp Tarber outside Star Rise. Tamara was nearly discharged from training when she and several other cadets ignored orders to fall back to Bourne, and travelled South intending to fight in the Battle of Hope. The group were apprehended and escorted back to Bourne when Tamara was recognised by Lucien Greycastle at Bowman's Bluff. After the battle, a tribunal acquitted the recruits, and they returned to complete their basic training the following year. Officer Despite training as regular infantry, Tamara was inevitably fast-tracked into the rank of Sergeant. Whilst some credited this to her nobility, few who served with her would question her suitability. She was stationed in Camp Tarber until being promoted to Captain at the age of 21 in 2129 AE, when she requested a transfer to the recently established and rapidly growing Fort Hope, under the command of General Izer Derrian. Fort Hope Tamara was given command of the inner walls of For Hope, and oversaw the improvement of its defences. She was a popular leader, although faith in her was shaken in 2132 AE, when a controversial command decision led to tragedy. There had been rumoured sightings of Corrupt Beings lurking near the border of the Corruption. Many in Fort Hope saw this as a chance to test the defences, and plans were devised to lure a small number of the creatures to the Fort. Tamara felt the defences were not adequate for testing, and that the Scouts had not carried out enough reconnaissance to risk the plan. She pressured General Izer into giving her command of a small group to go and capture the Corrupt beings from the Southern part of the Corruption, rather than agitating those close to the Fort. Rangers who were stationed within the Corruption advised against this, however General Izer gave Tamara authority to proceed. She was given command of 50 soldiers, and led them into the Corruption. Once in, the difficulty of their task quickly became apparent. Within just a few short days, moral had reached a low, and several soldiers fled from the group, never being seen again. Tamara had to decide whether to continue, or fall back. She chose the former, and continued trying to capture the Corrupt for several days. Eventually, she was forced to call a retreat, however this led her into the back of a group of the Corrupt moving towards the village of Ghostcliffe Grange. She ordered her weakened force to assault the group, rather than avoiding conflict. The skirmish was won by Tamara and her troops, however by the end of it, only 11 of her original 50 troops remained. Whilst the village was saved, it fell to the Corruption two years later. However, most of the 300 inhabitants were able to evacuate. In the aftermath of the expedition, General Izer took the blame for the lives lost, and retired from military service. In a somewhat controversial move, his last act was to promote Tamara to Major, and put her in command of Fort Hope. He made the case that, had she not attacked, hundreds may have died rather than dozens. He also felt it important to leave the Fort under the command of somebody who had been to the Corruption, and that Tamara's links to the Count would help the Fort be well supplied and manned in the coming years. Tamara met members of the Witch Hunter's Guild in July of 2136 AE, after they recovered survivors of the 43rd Expedition and Kayla from the Corruption. Personal Life Tamara is very private about her personal life and relationships, although it is common knowledge that she was romantically involved with a sergeant who she was close to since training. Sergeant Gordon Hirst was a promising officer, and was eventually given permission by Count Joel to become engaged to Tamara. However, he was among those killed in the expedition commanded by Tamara. The burden of his death continues to weigh heavily on her. In 2134 AE, Count Joel was considering betrothing Tamara to Germaine Penrose, the second son of Lord Harworth Penrose. Tamara was opposed to this match. Germaine was several years younger than Tamara, and was not impressed by his preoccupation with wistfully looking over landscapes. Count Joel eventually relented, and has stopped intervening in Tamara's romantic affairs.